


Zatlen & Feyneral Drabbles

by RittaPokie



Series: Tales From the Dragon Age [14]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-30
Updated: 2018-01-30
Packaged: 2019-03-11 07:04:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13519026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RittaPokie/pseuds/RittaPokie





	1. A Special Babe

"Brother, we must make haste to have you out of this city by nightfall!"

"Feynarel?" The older asks. It's been years since his younger brother left to join the Dalish elves, about 5 in fact. And he hasn't seen him since. "Is that really you?"

"Yes, but you miss the point-"

"I cannot leave. I've a newborn babe and her mother-...she passed.." He says mournfully. "Only a few days ago."

"I know, the child is why we must go." The younger blond says. "She is to be a Mage."

"A Mage? Fey, she's half dwarf, you must be mistaken. She _can't_ be a Mage." He says, confused. "It isn't possible."

"And yet, she will be." Feynarel insists. "Disagree if you must, but by the time you realize that I speak the truth, it will be too late to take her away. She will set the square ablaze and the Templars will kill her."

"How could you say such a thing-"

"Because it is true, I have seen it." He says, "With my own eyes, as I did when we were children. Do you remember? All the things I saw. Being among our kind, around magic, it has only strengthened my ability."

"Fey..."

"Brother, my heart and dear brother, I am a Mage, it is not safe for me here. Come with me now or I fear I may never be able to return." The younger' voice turns soft. "The babe must live, she is unique and special, she will do great things if only she is given a chance to prove herself as other than unstable and unexpected. Come with me, _please_."


	2. The Plight of Feys

"Papa, papa!" The tiny girl's voice is heavy with distress as she runs to him, her hands all aflame.

"Oh, creators. Fey!" He calls for his brother immediately. The other man had predicted this would happen, surely he planned for it.

The little one screams wildly in a panic. She's only four.

"Da'len, does it pain you?" Fey asks, kneeling to be closer at eye level with the girl. "Look at me, vehnan."

She shakes her head, tears streaming down her face. "Not hurt, but I can't stop it!"

"You must calm down for it to stop." He says, "You are frightened, and your spirit seeks to protect you. Breathe slowly."

She does as he asks, sucking in large gulps of air and letting them out slowly. The fire on her hands crackles and dies. "There, now, little one." He says, petting her hair, "You are safe. You are so special, do you know?"

\---

"Maker's breath, Fey, before yours even!" Zat says a few days after the incident when he and his brother are hunting alone in the woods.

"Ilo will not have magic." He says simply, "She will do great things in different ways. I long for the day Aurin shows his, as then I will have a companion for my dreams."

"I do wish you wouldn't wander so when you are asleep. You do it enough when you're awake." Zat sighs.

Fey chuckles. "Tis not a shameful thing, brother. It's wonderful. The things I have seen, oh how I wish I could share them with someone."

"You've told me. The crystal spires, the centuries old trees, the spirits." Zat says, "My brother, a dreamer _and_ a seer."

"A time will come when even I am matched." Fey's voice drops an octave and his tone is more solemn.

"Don't speak of such things!" Zat stops and puts his hands on his brother's shoulders, shaking him lightly. "You've time left in you, and a lot of it! You and I will bicker 'til the end is upon us!"

"Brother, my dearest. I've ten more winters left." Fey states with sadness in his voice. "My children will not be ready for my absence, nor will your daughter."

"Fey, please. You will live."

"I won't. And listen to me, my children. You must care for them, all three of them."

"Three? Brother you-"

"Val is my son, you mustn't tell the man he thinks is his father. The sorry man hates me enough as it is. If he knew, he'd kill me."

"Fey, oh Fey, my brother why would you put yourself in such a position?"

"Because fate dealt his mother as poor a hand as I have. Because she knows. Because she is like me." Fey babbles, "I do not know what else to say."


	3. Crafter's Wrath

"Fey, creators where have you been-" he halts when his brother steps from the shadows. He's utterly drenched in blood.

Fey opens his mouth to speak but red bubbles from his lips and he coughs, gagging. "It-not mine-" he says when he can form words.

"Fey..." Zat's voice wavers. "What did you do?"

"He-he killed her, brother. I saw in dreams so I followed when they left and he-" his voice cracks and he sobs. "I couldn't control myself, it was awful. The wolf-"

"Brother..."

\---

It is not Paetal's first hunt alone, but the experience is new enough to set him on edge. More so with the forest so quiet. Something awful has happened, he can tell, would be able to even if the scent of blood was not in the air. Curiosity wins out and he follows the coppery smell.

He comes upon two bodies with fresh blood pooling around them. One is untouched but for a knife in her back, which is odd considering the state of the man next to her. The other body is torn apart almost beyond recognition. Red has sprayed all around the scene, telling of a vicious attack.

It is a harrowing sight that catches his breath in his throat, but he becomes even more anxious when he hears twigs snapping a mere ten feet in front of him. Could whatever caused this still be lurking about? Paetal retreats into a more shaded area of the trees and crouches low to the ground, making himself nearly invisible.

Voices approach with the movement and he almost sighs in relief, but that is before he sees them. The brothers Zatlen and Feyneral, leaders of the wolf pack, and the younger is soaked in blood that clearly is not his. The mage's mouth is dripping with it even as he tries to wipe it away with the tears streaming down his cheeks. He nods along as the older speaks. "This is a mess. Maker's breath... It's going to be alright, don't cry." He pats his brother lightly on the shoulder before inspecting the bodies. "I never thought he'd actually hurt her..."

"I'm not crying for fear of punishment. Zatlen, I- she was a treasured friend..." The younger sobs.

"I know, ir abelas, brother." Zatlen sighs. "Wolves aren't an unusual threat in the forest, but...to have this believable, the two must match."

"What?!" Fey shouts. "You don't mean-you _can't_ -"

"I don't _want to_." Zatlen says. "I just don't see how-" he halts mid-sentence when Paetal makes the mistake of gasping lightly. The hunter holds his breath as the older brother scans the area with his eyes. Pale turquoise and purple fall on his own green irises. Zatlen's eyes narrow and his face twists into a snarl; Pae has an eery feeling that no one so far has seen such an expression on the crafter and lived to tell about it.

"Show yourself." Zatlen growls. Pae stands on wobbly legs and emerges from the trees.

"I-I-" the hunter stammers. "What-"

"You will not ask questions." Zatlen says, stepping closer. The man's presence is more threatening than any beast Pae has faced so far, demanding not just respect, but complete submission. He thinks it odd, considering how compliant and kind he has known the crafter to be.

"Zatlen." Fey says, voice softer than should be allowed from a man so covered in blood.

"Speak." The older brother says, eyes never leaving the hunter. "What do you think you have seen?"

"I don't know-" Pae splutters, and the crafter grabs his collar and hauls him closer. "N-nothing, I don't know what I've seen! I really don't, but clearly I've stumbled into something I shouldn't have..."

" _Zatlen_." Fey says again, more stern. "He will understand the truth."

"He is a witness." Zatlen argues, but he releases the hunter's collar. "A man killed his bondmate. He was met with swift albeit brutal punishment. Nothing more."

"W-what about making the b-bodies match?" Paetal squeaks.

"That is not of your concern." Zatlen says, his gaze hard and unblinking. "You will hold your tongue if you value your life. Go." He nods his head in the direction of camp. Paetal complies, eager to escape the possibility of the man's wrath.

\---

"You did not have to be so mean." Fey says when the hunter is out of earshot.

"And you did not have to kill this man." Zat snaps, then sighs. "You should've let me do it."

"It would've been cleaner, for sure..."

"You shouldn't watch." Zatlen says. "Clean up, go back to camp, stay in your aravel until I return."


	4. The End of Peace

"How is she?" Zatlen asks when he is inside the aravel. His brother kneels beside the sleeping child.

"Calm, sleeping, no doubt shaping the fade to her whim and playing with happy spirits. I have cast wards to keep demons away." Fey says. He smiles at Zatlen when the older sits down next to him.

"This poor girl..."

Fey frowns and turns his gaze back to the sleeping child. "Do you know what the clan calls her?" Zatlen shakes his head. "Halam'Atisha. The end of peace."

Zatlen sighs heavily. "It does not bode well."

"She is a gift from fate, the first god born in centuries." Fey says. "She could save us all...and look at us."

"She should not have to endure this fighting."

"More than that." Fey shakes his head. "I am not disillusioned, I know the Wolf's plan will mean suffering for everyone. I...merely think we deserve it. This child could lead us through it, and some intend to control her while others reject her. It is not right, and we deserve the wrath the Wolf will bring upon us for it."

"I...agree, with some of that at least." Zatlen says. "She should be somewhere no one knows, with someone who will not twist her to their will. She deserves to be free of this."

"Brother, are you saying...?"

"If it does not come to a conclusion soon," Zatlen sighs, "Then I will take measures to protect her, as I see fit."

"I trust that you have the best of intentions close to your heart." Fey grins. "They seek to raise this child to follow the Wolf, but I do not think he would want that...he would want her to find her own way."

"You cannot speak for him, lethallin."

"No, but I can guess." Fey says. "I've always been good at it."

Zat smiles. "That is true."


	5. Ingeniculo

White-blue cracks along his brother's eye sockets, so faint that they might go unnoticed at first glance. The lyrium crystals in place of his eyes are harder to ignore, glowing weakly in otherwise empty sockets. Scarring around them is telling of the suffering inflicted to remove his natural eyes, which were, ironically, nearly the same color. His breathing is even, but he shivers in intervals. Maybe he is cold, too long spent in the heat of Tevinter to deal with the chill in the South. Or perhaps he is in pain, which Zatlen suspects is more likely. He watches carefully until a pattern emerges. The "eyes" flicker thrice before his brother shudders.

Zatlen looks away, sick to his stomach, hands clenched in fists at his sides. The carriage ride back to Skyhold is the longest trip he has ever endured. He only returns his gaze when his brother murmurs in his sleep. He predicts his waking a split second before the eyes pulse in glowing and fingernails dig into his ankle. As he is caught off guard in his empathy, his brother is able to unseat him; he lands on the floor of the coach with a thud. Outside the wooden walls, he can hear muffled voices calling the horses to a halt.

"Fey." He says cautiously, eyeing the other. His brother's breathing has gone from even to frantic extremely quickly, eyes lit up in a way that makes Zatlen's hair stand on end. His stance is threatening, violent, something his younger brother has _never_ been. "Brother, you are safe."

He stands and offers a hand to the other, knowing it will not be taken, and is tackled out of the back of the carriage. Zatlen gets to his feet more quickly than his brother, immediately dropping into a defensive stance as Fey stumbles for footing. He supposes he is lucky it is not the wolf form he is facing, for he has seen what it can do. Fey finally pulls himself off the ground, legs wobbly from exhaustion; the previous two fights took a lot out of him, and are perhaps why he has not used magic.

He lunges again, but Zatlen dodges easily now that they are in the open. When his brother gets to his feet again, Zatlen chooses a different course of action than fighting. "Ingeniculo." He grits out. Fey falters, brows furrowing, and then drops to his knees. Zatlen flinches, knowing the ground is not soft.

"What did you do?" Gealis asks softly.

"I had a theory." Zatlen says, his jaw tense. "He is someone's pet, and all dangerous pets are taught commands."

Gealis nods and his face is mournful. "What was it you said to him?"

Zatlen swallows bile and refuses to look at the Inquisitor. "Kneel."

"You are _not_ my master." Fey hisses, face cast downward as if he has a gaze to avert.

Zatlen rolls his shoulders, biting down on his tongue, and smacks his brother across the face. Hard. "I am now." He says, not allowing his voice to betray him at all, though his chest is tight and his ears are ringing. "I fought your master and won. You are the spoils of that victory."

Tension eases from Fey's much slighter form and he slouches further to the ground. "Forgive me." He says, his voice empty.

"Get back in the carriage." Zatlen orders, and his brother obeys immediately. He cannot bring himself to ride in it with him for the rest of the trip, but he knows his commands are not disputed. He can feel Gealis' sad eyes on him the entire way, but he refuses to allow himself the pity. He does not feel he deserves it after that display.


	6. jfc

It had been a good fight, perhaps the best he has had in _decades_. Fen still has a ways to go in experience, but he's sure she will surpass his skill level in her own time. She certainly has the determination for it.

Zat's eyelids are heavy as he watches Gealis clean his wounds, swiping a wet cloth gently over scraps and cuts and pressing kisses over them. He smiles, bringing his hand to cup under his lover's chin tilt him so they are face to face. Their lips meet in a gentle kiss that ends too quickly. Gealis is grinning when he pulls back. "Feel better?" The younger asks.

He moves to kiss his lover's neck, humming a positive. Gealis makes a soft sound of pleasure and moves his head to give Zat more access. "You know, you're pretty sexy when you fight to the mock death."

"Even when I lose?" He bites the skin under Gealis' ear, leaving faint red indents, laving his tongue over the marks to soothe.

"I'd call it a draw." Gealis answers, slightly breathless. "She got five steps in before Aurin and Tallis had to help her walk." He moans softly when Zat bites again.

"I think..." Zat says, unable to keep the smirk off his lips as he sucks a light purple mark above Gealis' collar. It will definitely show. "I think I have a bit more energy, if you'll indulge me?"

Gealis pushes him back onto the bed properly and leans over him. "I'm always happy to be your indulgence."

Zat maneuvers him by the hips until the younger man is straddling him. "Is that so?" He slips his hands under Gealis' tunic and revels in the shiver he can feel as he lightly scraps his nails down the other's stomach to the laces on his trousers. He works them free with deft fingers. "Take this off?" He says, tugging the hem of Gealis tunic. The other's cheeks stain light pink and he does as he is asked.

Zat is normally more bossy in bed, but it is understandable why he is not now. Struck by sympathy, Gealis reaches down and caresses his lover's cheek, eyes sad. Zat bites his lip and ignores the meaning behind the gesture, shifting so he is propped on the pillows and pulling Gealis a little further up.

The other is not hard yet when Zat mouths against his cock through his trousers, but he feels him twitch. He grins when Gealis' breath stutters. He slides the leather down further before taking his cock in hand, stroking slowly. Gealis hums and takes Zat's free hand in his own, threading their fingers together.

He increases his speed slightly as his lover becomes more aroused, listening intently at the soft sighs and hitching breathing above him. He tightens his grip on an upstroke, squeezing just below the swollen head and the other moans, hips twitching forward. "Gealis." Zat says, staring half lidded at him. The younger's eyes flutter open and he hums questioningly. "Will you get the..." He swallows. His own mind is swimming with lust, he cannot pretend that bringing his lover pleasure does not affect him. "The oil. Please."

He watches Gealis' pupils flare as he nods quickly and moves to rummage through the bedside drawers. He sets a small jar down beside them and reassumes his position straddling the other. He bites his lip as Zat opens it and dips his fingers in.

Zat takes time spreading the oil evenly onto his fingers and warming it, making Gealis wait, loving how he shifts and sighs in frustration. He grips Gealis again with his clean hand and strokes roughly before leaning closer and sucking the head into his mouth.

" _Fenedhis_." Gealis gasps above him, trailing into a stuttered moan as Zat bobs his head quickly a few times before pulling off with an obscene pop. "Tease." He scolds, fingers carding through Zat's hair. His hands clench and he pulls a bit when a slick finger pushes into him. Zat swirls the digit in gentle circles, opening the other slowly. His other hand keeps a steady but slow pace on Gealis' cock.

Gealis hums when a second finger joins the first. He finds the bundle of nerves inside the other easily and brushes his fingers over it lightly, watching the muscles in Gealis' stomach jump. He presses harder, rubbing, and a choked moan escapes the other.

"Creators, is-is this- are you just going to t-tease me all day or- _oh_." His brows draw together as Zat strokes his cock faster, keeping a gentle rocking inside him. "Oh, I-"

"Sounds like you don't want me to stop teasing." Zat smirks. His voice is rough with arousal and he shifts his own hips against empty air at how wrecked the other sounds. Gealis moans and moves his hands from Zat's hair to the headboard.

Gealis whines, voice pitching higher, and Zat moves his hand away from his cock. He places it instead on the other's hip, thumb gently pressing at the edge of the bone. "Zatlen." He gasps, and the older has to take a deep breath to keep taking him then and there. It is enough to end his teasing and he works quickly to prepare the other.

He gets lost in the movements of his own hand and the way Gealis' hips roll against him until the other grips his wrist, panting "Good enough." He remembers how to breath and grips the other's hip, flipping them over easily. Gealis gasps when he bounces against the bed. "Well hi there." He grins as Zat settles.

Zat is powerless against the twitch of his lips into an answering smile. He nuzzles into Gealis' neck, whispering "I love you." before sucking another bruise near the one from before. Gealis groans and rolls his hips up into his lover's and Zat gasps sharply at the relief of friction. " _Fuck_. You'll ruin me."

Gealis _giggles_ , Zat decides that is not and shifts down to suck the hard flesh of a nipple into his mouth. He tugs with his teeth as he pulls away, smirking as Gealis gasps. " _Zatlen_." The younger whines and wiggles his hips again. "Please..."

He takes a steadying breath and reaches for the oil, snatching it quickly out of Gealis' reach. If he lets the other slick him, this will be over and he knows it. Even the idea of it makes his head spin. His eyes close and he groans as he spreads the oil onto himself. He squeezes tightly at the base once before wiping his hand on the bedsheets and lifting the other's hips a bit.

Gealis takes a deep breath and lets it out as a moan as Zat pushes in. The older does his best to keep his breathing even and clumsily finds Gealis' hand and links their fingers above them, squeezing for stability. He keeps his hips still when he is fully sheathed, allowing them both time to adjust, and leans up to kiss the other.

It is a sloppy slide of their lips together, and Zat's moans are swallows when Gealis' legs cross behind his back, pulling him deeper. "Zat..." The younger breaths. "I-please-" his eyes are heavy lidded, pupils blown too wide to see the color of his irises.

He pulls back nearly all the way before rolling his hips and thrusting back in, both of them groaning. The room around them fills with the sound of skin slapping against skin as he picks up the pace. The tension and trouble of the past days slips his mind and he feels underwater, unable to hear or feel past _this_.

He catches Gealis' hand before it slides between them, denying him the ability to touch himself, and the younger keens, frustrated and very clearly close to his end. Gealis is panting, hair sticking to his forehead with sweat. Zat grins again and leaves the other's hands above his head, knowing he will not move them, and leans back to lift the other's hips more. He snaps his hips in a sharp thrust and Gealis' back arches as he gasps. "Close?" Zat managed, his voice only shaking a little.

"Oh-" the younger stutters. " _Yes_. Please, I need to-"

Zat finds the perfect angle and Gealis chokes on his moan, tightening his legs around the other, his thighs shaking. "I know."

"Oh-oh-fenedhis, yes- _there_." he gasps, his panting is edged with a low moaning on every exhale. "Zatlen- _oh_. Please, mercy..." He whines, "Please let me-" he breaks off on a groan, hips rocking desperately.

Zat takes pity on him and wraps his fingers around his leaking cock, the moan of relief he gets in response makes his stomach clench and he gasps, his thrusts becoming more shallow, just rocking against Gealis' sweet spot. "Fuck-fuck- you feel so- Do you have any idea how gorgeous you are? _Oh Maker,_ you're amazing, I need- _ah_ -" he babbles, his rhythm quickly devolving into erratic jerks of his hips. He doubts Gealis hears him as his cock pulses in Zat's hand as he spills with a loud moan. "Gealis-" His breath catches in his throat when he comes, his legs shaking so much with the force of it that he nearly falls.

He pulls out when he can breathe again and flops down next to the other, panting. His heart skips at the soft smile he sees on Gealis' lips and he cannot resist moving up onto quivering arms and kissing him. The younger's eyes crack open and his grin widens as he returns the soft kiss. "Gorgeous, am I?" He mumbles, smugness still clear in his voice.

Zat feels his face flush, but for once, he does not care. He hums, "I love you."

"I love you too." Gealis shifts and snuggles against him. "So, so much."


	7. Brave

"Boys..." Their mother says softly as they are about to round a corner of an alley on their way home. "Go back, hide." She hurries them further down the alley into the shadows.

Fey grumbles, eyelids drooping. His face is still covered in chocolate. Seer though he is, he has not seen what is about to happen. Zat feels it, though, in a different way. It is never this quiet on the streets and their mother sounds so uneasy. He deposits a sleepy Fey into a worn out crate and slides the cracked lid onto it.

"Stay." He mouths, eyes stern, and the younger nods, eyes widening. Zat never gives orders to him unless things are serious.

The older brother creeps down the alley towards voices around the corner in the plot between buildings. Their mother's and a few more. "She's a pretty one." A man says in an accent that Zat has heard before, but not often.

"Don't touch me." She says, and the sound of a slap echoes around them. She sobs quietly. "I won't go with you. You can't make me." She says through her tears.

"I rather think I can." Another man says. He grabs her long auburn hair and twists until she falls to her knees.

Zat finds his eyes fixed on the scene, unblinking. He does not act, as he knows there is very little he could do. He could use magic, but it is unlikely he could take them all down, and then Fey would be left alone. He could call for help, but then the slavers could make off with them all before help comes. So, he is forced to stand idle and watch.

"No." She says, her teeth grinding as her jaw tenses shut. Zat heads blood rushing in his ears and churning of sickness in his stomach. Young as he is, he does not have the luxury of being blind to the world or the mood of this situation.

Before the man can take it further, Athela pulls a knife from her belt and catches him between the legs with it. What happens afterwards is quick and inevitable. Zat's eyes stay glued to his mother even when her own blood surrounds her and her eyes go glassy.

The slavers take her body, for what purpose he does not want to know. He goes to the crate he left Fey in and leads the younger boy back to their small home in Darktown.

\---

"Where is mamae?" Fey asks for the eleventh time that evening. Zat cannot blame him for wondering, nor would he, but he cannot bring himself to answer. "Brother, where has she gone? Has she left us?"

"Not by choice." The older says. "But she will not be coming back."

"Oh." Fey says. His blue eyes fill up with tears. "But...but we were gonna go to the docks tomorrow and-" he breaks off in sobs. Zat cannot find the strength to go over and comfort him, no matter how guilty he knows he will feel later. Something inside him feels...gone.

"I'm going to take care of you, okay?" Zat says when the sobbing dies down to sniffling.

"I know, but-but she's gone-" he whimpers.

"I am sad too, but we both must be brave now." Zat says. "I will keep you safe, but you have to be brave or I don't think I'll have the strength to do this."

Fey nods, his small face set in determination. "I can."

"I know you can, I know."


End file.
